Abstract:

Facility information for a destination facility and facility information
for a neighboring facility of the destination facility are accepted as
search conditions. The destination facility that neighbors the
neighboring facility is identified by using a database that defines a
neighboring relationship between the facilities. The facility information
for the identified destination facility is outputted.

Claims:

1. A facility information output device, comprising:a database that
contains facility information of each of a plurality of facilities;an
input unit for receiving first and second search queries;a facility
search unit for searching the facility information contained in the
database for (i) a first facility that has the facility information
satisfying the first query and that has a neighboring relationship with a
second facility and (ii) the second facility that has the facility
information satisfying the second query; anda facility information output
unit for outputting the facility information of at least the first
facility found by the facility search unit.

2. The facility information output device according to claim 1, whereinthe
facility search unit includes a neighboring relationship determination
unit for determining whether the neighboring relationship exists between
the first facility and the second facility.

3. The facility information output device according to claim 2,
whereinsaid database further comprises, in association with the facility
information of each of the facilities, neighboring facility information
that indicates whether said facility has a neighboring relationship with
another facility, andthe neighboring relationship determination unit is
configured to determine whether the neighboring relationship exists based
on the neighboring facility information.

4. The facility information output device according to claim 2, whereinthe
facility information of each of the facilities includes location
information, andthe neighboring relationship determination unit is
configured to determine whether the neighboring relationship exists based
on the location information.

5. The facility information output device according to claim 1, whereinthe
facility search unit is configured to, in response to said first query,
return a list of candidate facilities that have the facility information
satisfying the first query;the facility information output unit is
configured to output said list with the facility information of the
candidate facilities;the input unit is configured to, in response to user
interaction with the outputted list, enable receipt of the second query;
andthe facility search unit is configured to, in response to said second
query, perform a refined search to identify the first facility from among
the candidate facilities on the list.

6. The facility information output device according to claim 5,
whereinsaid database further comprises, in association with the facility
information of each of the facilities, neighboring facility information
that identifies any neighboring facility that said each facility has a
neighboring relationship with; andthe facility search unit is configured
to perform the refined search by, for each of the candidate facilities,
determining whether the facility information of any neighboring facility
identified in the neighboring facility information of said each candidate
facility satisfies the second query.

7. The facility information output device according to claim 5, whereinthe
facility information of each of the facilities includes location
information, andthe facility search unit is configured to perform the
refined search by, based on the location information of each of the
candidate facilities, determining whether the facility information of any
facility within a neighborhood of said each candidate facility satisfies
the second query.

8. The facility information output device according to claim 7, wherein
the facility search unit includes a neighboring facility determination
unit for identifying any neighboring facility that has a neighboring
relationship with each of the candidate facilities byidentifying
candidate neighboring facilities and neighboring roads within a specified
range from said each candidate facility, based on the location
information of said each candidate facility; andamong the candidate
neighboring facilities, identifying those that are accessible from the
neighboring roads as the neighboring facilities for said each candidate
facility, based on the location information of said candidate neighboring
facilities.

9. The facility information output device according to claim 8, wherein
the neighboring facility determination unit is configured to identify the
neighboring roads for said each candidate facility by:identifying nodes
within the specified range from said each candidate facility, based on
the location information of said each candidate facility;identifying
roads that link said nodes as candidate neighboring roads; andamong the
candidate neighboring roads, identifying those that are within a
specified distance from said each candidate facility as the neighboring
roads.

10. The facility information output device according to claim 8, wherein
the neighboring facility determination unit is configured to identify the
neighboring facilities accessible from the neighboring roads by:among the
candidate neighboring facilities, identifying those that are within a
specified distance from the neighboring roads.

11. A facility information output method using a database that contains
facility information of each of a plurality of facilities, said method
comprising:in response to first and second search queries, searching the
facility information contained in the database for (i) a first facility
that has the facility information satisfying the first query and that has
a neighboring relationship with a second facility and (ii) the second
facility that has the facility information satisfying the second query;
andoutputting the facility information of at least the first facility
found by the facility search unit.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprisingdetermining
whether the neighboring relationship exists between the first facility
and the second facility.

13. The method according to claim 12, whereinsaid database further
comprises, in association with the facility information of each of the
facilities, neighboring facility information that indicates whether said
facility has a neighboring relationship with another facility, andsaid
determining comprises determining whether the neighboring relationship
exists based on the neighboring facility information.

14. The method according to claim 12, whereinthe facility information of
each of the facilities includes location information, andsaid determining
comprises determining whether the neighboring relationship exists based
on the location information.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:in response to
said first query, returning a list of candidate facilities that have the
facility information satisfying the first query;outputting said list with
the facility information of the candidate facilities;in response to user
interaction with the outputted list, receiving the second query; andin
response to said second query, performing a refined search to identify
the first facility from among the candidate facilities on the list.

16. The method according to claim 15, whereinsaid database further
comprises, in association with the facility information of each of the
facilities, neighboring facility information that identifies any
neighboring facility that said each facility has a neighboring
relationship with; andthe refined search includes, for each of the
candidate facilities, determining whether the facility information of any
neighboring facility identified in the neighboring facility information
of said each candidate facility satisfies the second query.

17. The method according to claim 15, whereinthe facility information of
each of the facilities includes location information, andthe refined
search includes, based on the location information of each of the
candidate facilities, determining whether the facility information of any
facility within a neighborhood of said each candidate facility satisfies
the second query.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said determining in the
refined search includesidentifying candidate neighboring facilities and
neighboring roads within a specified range from said each candidate
facility, based on the location information of said each candidate
facility; andamong the candidate neighboring facilities, identifying
those that are accessible from the neighboring roads as the neighboring
facilities for said each candidate facility, based on the location
information of said candidate neighboring facilities.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the neighboring roads for
said each candidate facility are identified by:identifying nodes within
the specified range from said each candidate facility, based on the
location information of said each candidate facility;identifying roads
that link said nodes as candidate neighboring roads; andamong the
candidate neighboring roads, identifying those that are within a
specified distance from said each candidate facility as the neighboring
roads.

20. A computer-readable medium containing a facility information output
program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform
the method of claim 11.

Description:

[0001]This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application
No. 2310380 filed on Nov. 30, 2007, the entire disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002]The disclosure relates to a facility information output device, a
facility information output method, and a computer-readable medium
storing a facility information output program to search for a facility
that is a desired destination according to a user' input, by using, as a
search condition, a neighboring facility of the facility that is the
desired destination.

[0003]Various types of known devices have been proposed to search for and
output facility information on a facility that is a desired destination.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2194817
describes a navigation device that performs a focused search using a
facility genre and a region name as search conditions.

[0004]It is difficult for the navigation device that is described in
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2194817 to focus its
search for the facility that is the destination if the name of the region
in which the facility exists is not known.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not
by limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein
elements having the same reference numeral designations represent like
elements throughout and wherein:

[0006]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a navigation device in accordance with
an embodiment;

[0007]FIG. 2 is a flowchart of facility information output processing in
accordance with an embodiment;

[0008]FIG. 3 is an exemplary input screen in accordance with an
embodiment;

[0009]FIG. 4 is an exemplary search result screen in accordance with an
embodiment;

[0010]FIG. 5 is an exemplary input screen in accordance with an
embodiment;

[0011]FIG. 6 is an exemplary search result screen in accordance with an
embodiment;

[0012]FIG. 7 is a diagram that shows a structure of a search database in
accordance with an embodiment;

[0013]FIG. 8 is a diagram that shows a structure of a search database in
accordance with an embodiment; and

[0014]FIG. 9 is a diagram that shows positional relationships among
facilities, nodes, and roads in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0015]A navigation device in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the
drawings. The navigation device in some embodiments is installed in a
vehicle. Other arrangements are, however, not excluded. For example, the
navigation device in some embodiments is a portable device arranged for
use by a pedestrian or hiker or rider etc.

[0016]In addition, the functions of a method described in connection with
the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware, software,
or a combination thereof. Software comprising instructions for execution
may reside in a computer-readable medium comprising volatile and/or
non-volatile memory, e.g., a random access memory (RAM), a read only
memory (ROM), a programmable memory, a hard disk, a compact disc, or
another form of storage medium readable, directly or indirectly, by a
processing device. In at least some embodiments, one or more hardware
components may comprise virtual hardware components in place of physical
hardware components.

[0017]In this disclosure, "facility" means any point of interest that can
be identified on a map. Examples of "facility" include, but are not
limited to, shops, stores, department stores, monuments, intersections,
post offices, parks, buildings, landmarks, entertainment centers,
residencies etc.

[0018]First, the overall configuration of the navigation device will be
explained based on FIG. 1 which is a block diagram of the navigation
device.

[0019]As shown in FIG. 1, a navigation device 1 comprises a current
position detection processing portion 11 that detects a current position
of the navigation device (i.e., the current position of the vehicle), a
data storage portion 12 that stores various types of data, a navigation
control portion 13 that performs various types of computational
processing based on input information, an operation portion 14 that
accepts a command from a user, a liquid crystal display 15 that displays
visible information such as a map and the like for the user, a speaker 16
that outputs audible information, such as voice route guidance and the
like, a communication device 17 that communicates with a road traffic
information center or a map information distribution center (not shown in
the drawing), and a touch panel 18 that is provided on the screen of the
liquid crystal display 15. Other arrangements are, however, not excluded.
For example, in some embodiments, the liquid crystal display is replaced
with an LED or OLED display, or the touch panel 18 is omitted, or the
operation portion 14 is incorporated in the touch panel 18.

[0020]The current position detection processing portion 11 includes a GPS
unit 31, a heading sensor 32, a distance sensor 33, an altimeter (not
shown in the drawing), and the like, and is capable of detecting the
vehicle's current position, its heading, the distance to a target (for
example, an intersection), and the like.

[0021]The GPS 31 detects the current position of the vehicle on the Earth,
as well as the current time, by receiving radio waves that are generated
by artificial GPS satellites. The heading sensor 32 detects the heading
of the vehicle and includes any sensor that is attached to a rotating
part of the steering wheel (not shown in the drawing) such as a
geomagnetic sensor, a gyroscopic sensor, or an optical rotation sensor,
and/or any sensor that is attached to a wheel (not shown), such as a
rotational resistance sensor or an angle sensor, or the like. The
distance sensor 33 detects the distance that the vehicle has traveled and
includes a sensor that measures a revolution speed of a wheel of the
vehicle (not shown in the drawing) and detects the distance based on the
measured revolution speed, and/or a sensor that detects the distance by
measuring acceleration and integrating the measured acceleration twice,
or the like, for example.

[0023]The map database 25 stores various types of map data that are
necessary for route guidance, traffic information guidance, and map
displays. Road information is also stored in the map database 25. The
road information includes node data items and link data items. The node
data items are data items that indicate geographical points (i.e., nodes)
on roads and include coordinates as position information items for the
geographical points. The link data items are data items that indicate
roads that connect the geographical points that are indicated by the node
data items. Each of the link data items includes data such as a pair of
the node data items that indicate the nodes at the two ends of the link,
a link length, a road width, a road type for the link, and the like. Each
of the link data items also includes data such as a travel restriction
for the link (one-way travel, a time slot restriction), the road name,
and the like, so the road can be specified by the link data item.
Further, the node data items and the link data items are each
respectively assigned a node ID and a link ID.

[0024]A search database 51 that is used in search processing that will be
described later is also stored in the map database 25. The search
database 51 will be described in detail later.

[0025]The contents of the map database 25 are updated based on update
information that is distributed through the communication device 17 from
the map information distribution center that is not shown in the drawing.

[0026]The navigation control portion 13 includes a CPU 41, a RAM 42, a ROM
43, and the like. The CPU 41 functions as a computational device and a
control device that performs overall control of the navigation device 1.
The RAM 42 is used as a working memory for various types of computational
processing that the CPU 41 performs. The ROM 43 stores a control program,
as well as a program for facility information output processing that will
be described later. Other types of computer-readable media, such as hard
disks, flashcard, etc. are, however, not excluded.

[0027]Each of the operation portion 14, the liquid crystal display 15, the
speaker 16, the communication device 17, and the touch panel 18, which
are peripheral devices (actuators), is electrically connected to the
navigation control portion 13.

[0028]The operation portion 14 is configured from various types of keys
and a plurality of operation switches. The operation portion 14 is
operated to correct the current position when travel starts, to input a
departure point as a guidance start point, to input a destination as a
guidance end point, to perform a search for information related to a
facility, and the like. The navigation control portion 13 performs
control such that various types of operations are executed based on
switch signals that are generated by the user's pressing the various
switches on the operation portion 14.

[0029]The liquid crystal display 15 displays map information for the
location where the vehicle is currently traveling, operation guidance, an
operation menu, key guidance, a recommended route from the current
position to the destination, guidance information along the recommended
route, traffic information, news, a weather forecast, time, e-mails,
television programs, and the like.

[0030]The speaker 16 outputs voice guidance and the like, that guides
travel along the recommended route, based on commands from the navigation
control portion 13.

[0031]The communication device 17 is a communication unit that
communicates with the map information distribution center through a
mobile telephone network or the like. The communication device 17
transmits and receives the latest version of the map update information
and the like to and from the map information distribution center. In
addition to its communication with the map information distribution
center, the communication device 17 also receives various types of
traffic information, such as congestion information, a congestion level
at a service area, and the like, that is transmitted from the road
traffic information center or the like.

[0032]The touch panel 18 is a touch switch in the form of a transparent
panel that is provided on the screen of the liquid crystal display 15.
The touch panel 18 is configured such that various types of commands can
be input by pressing a button or a map that is displayed on the liquid
crystal display 15.

[0033]Note that the configuration of the navigation device 1 described
above is merely one example, and the disclosed embodiments are not
limited to this configuration.

Facility Information Output Processing

[0034]Next, the facility information output processing that is executed in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be explained
with reference to FIG. 2 which is a flowchart of the facility information
output processing. The facility information output processing is started
based on a specified command received by the operation portion 14. Note
that the term "neighboring facility" is used herein not only to refer to
a facility that is immediately adjacent to a desired facility, but also
to a facility that is positioned such that it is separated from the
desired facility by no more than a specified number of facilities, or
that it is within a predetermined distance from the first facility, or
that is has a specified spatial or geographical relationship with the
first facility.

[0035]First, at S1, an input screen is displayed on the liquid crystal
display 15. FIG. 3 is an exemplary input screen that is displayed at S1.
Character input buttons 31, a character display portion 32, and an End
button 33 are displayed on the input screen. The character input buttons
31 are used to input hiragana characters that represent the fifty
syllables of the Japanese language. The character display portion 32
displays the hiragana characters that are input using the character input
buttons 31. The End button 33 is used to terminate the character input.
Other arrangements are, however, not excluded. For example, the character
input buttons 31 in some embodiments are configured to input characters
of the English alphabet.

[0036]After the input screen is displayed at S1, the processing proceeds
to S2. At S2, the character input buttons 31 and the End button 33 are
enabled, and the user inputs the name of a desired facility (hereinafter
called the "first facility") using the character input buttons 31. It is
acceptable to input only a portion of the first facility's name. The
processing proceeds to S3 when the End button 33 is pressed. Other
arrangements are, however, not excluded. For example, instead of facility
name, the user in some embodiments can search for any facility
information, e.g., ownership, category (e.g., grocery, coffee shop etc.)
etc.

[0037]At S3, a search processing is performed based on the character
string that was input at S2. The search processing uses the search
database 51, which will be described later, to search for a facility ID
of a facility name that matches the character string (or keyword or
search query) that was input at S2. The processing then proceeds to S4.

[0038]At S4, a search result screen is displayed on the liquid crystal
display 15. On the search result screen, a facility name or the like is
displayed for the facility ID that was identified at S3. FIG. 4 is an
exemplary search result screen that is displayed at S4. The search result
screen includes a name display portion 41, an area focus button 42, a
genre focus button 43, a neighboring facility focus button 44, scroll
buttons 45, and a search result display portion 46.

[0039]The name display portion 41 displays the character string that was
input at S2. The area focus button 42 if pressed sets a specific area as
a condition for a refined search. The genre focus button 43 if pressed
sets a specific genre as a condition for a refined search. The
neighboring facility focus button 44 if pressed sets a specific
neighboring facility as a condition for a refined search.

[0040]The search results can be scrolled through by pressing the scroll
buttons 45. The search results are displayed in the search result display
portion 46. When the search results are displayed, the number of
facilities that were found for each of the facility names that were found
are displayed adjacent, e.g., to the right of, the facility names. If the
neighboring facility focus button 44 is pressed on the screen shown in
FIG. 4 (S5), the processing proceeds to S6.

[0041]At S6, an input screen is displayed in the same manner as at S1
(refer to FIG. 5). The processing then proceeds to S7 for accepting input
from the user. At S7, the user inputs the name of a facility (hereinafter
called the "second facility") that has a neighboring relationship with
the desired facility. At this point, the user's pressing the End button
33 causes the processing to proceed to S8.

[0042]At S8, a search is performed using the character string that was
input at S7, the character string that was input at S2, and the search
database 51. The search processing that is executed at S8 will be
described in detail later.

[0043]At S9, a search result screen is displayed on the liquid crystal
display 15 (refer to FIG. 6). The user can select a desired second
facility name from among the facility names that are displayed on the
search result screen, then set the selected second facility as a
destination or display a map with the selected second facility in the
center.

[0044]Note that in the flowchart described above, the search processing is
executed two times, but the facility information output processing may
also be configured such that the facility name of the first facility and
the facility name of the second facility are both input on the same
screen and the search processing is executed once.

Search Processing

[0045]First Method

[0046]The search processing that is executed at S3 and S8 in FIG. 2 will
be now explained in detail. The search database 51 that is shown in FIG.
7 is used in the search processing. For each facility, the search
database 51 includes a facility ID as a key, as well as associated
attributes such as "facility name," "neighboring facility," "facility on
the right," and "facility on the left." The "facility name" attribute
indicates the facility name of the facility of interest. The "neighboring
facility" attribute indicates whether or not a neighboring facility
exists. If a neighboring facility exists, the attribute value is "Yes",
and if no neighboring facilities exist, the attribute value is "No". The
"facility on the right" attribute has, as its attribute value, the
facility ID of the neighboring facility, if any, on the right side of the
facility of interest. The "facility on the left" attribute has, as its
attribute value, the facility ID of the neighboring facility, if any, on
the left side of the facility of interest.0001

[0047]The search processing that uses the search database 51 that is shown
in FIG. 7 will be explained using a specific example in which I-ro-ha
Store (the first facility) is next to Ho-he-to Bookstore (the second
facility) which is the facility that is set as the destination.

[0048]At S2, the user inputs "i-ro-ha" (FIG. 3). The search processing
refers to the search database 51 and identifies the facility IDs 1, 2,
and 8, for which "i-ro-ha" is the attribute value of the associated
facility name attribute (S3).

[0049]Thus, at S4, the search result screen that is displayed on the
liquid crystal display 15 shows that two facilities called "I-ro-ha
Store" and one facility called "I-ro-ha Department Store" were found
(refer to FIG. 4).

[0050]At this point, if the neighboring facility focus button 44 is
pressed, a determination is made as to whether or not a neighboring
facility exists for each of the facility IDs that were identified at S3
(in this example, the facility IDs 1, 2, and 8). The determination as to
whether or not a neighboring facility exists can be made by referring to
the neighboring facility attribute in the search database 51. In this
case, among the facility IDs 1, 2, and 8, the facility IDs 1 and 2 each
have a neighboring facility attribute with an attribute value of "Yes",
so it is determined that one or more the neighboring facilities exist for
the "I-ro-ha Store" with the facility ID 1 and the "I-ro-ha Department
Store" with the facility ID 2. The facility IDs for which it is
determined that the neighboring facilities exist are stored in the RAM 42
in association with the facility IDs of any neighboring facilities on the
right side and the left side of the stored facility IDs.

[0051]In this example, the facility ID 3 and the facility ID 11 are stored
as the neighboring facilities in association with the facility ID 1, and
the facility ID 9 and the facility ID 25 are stored as the neighboring
facilities in association with the facility ID 2.

[0052]Then, at S7, "ho-he-to" is input as the second facility or desired
destination (FIG. 5). Next, at S8, a determination is made as to whether
or not "ho-he-to" is included in an attribute value of the "facility
name" attribute of one of the facility IDs (i.e., facility IDs 3, 11, 9,
25) that are stored as the neighboring facilities in the RAM 42. In this
case, "ho-he-to" is included in the attribute value ("Ho-he-to
Bookstore") of the "facility name" attribute of the facility ID 3 of the
facility on the right side of the facility ID 1 (FIG. 9), so the facility
ID 1 is identified as a search result.

[0053]Next, the facility information (e.g., the facility name) for the
facility ID 1 is displayed as the search result (FIG. 6). At this point,
if the position where "I-ro-ha Store" is displayed is pressed, a map that
has the "I-ro-ha Store" at its center, a recommended route from the
current position to the "I-ro-ha Store", and the like are displayed.

[0054]In the processing that is described above, only the neighboring
facilities immediately on the left and right of the first facility are
identified, but it is also possible, for example, to search for two or
more neighboring facilities on each of the left and right sides of the
first facility. This processing will be explained in the following
section for two neighboring facilities on each side of the first
facility, e.g., the "I-ro-ha Store" with the facility ID 1. First, the
facility IDs of the facilities on the left and right of the "I-ro-ha
Store" are specified by referring to the "facility on the right"
attribute value and the "facility on the left" attribute value for the
facility ID 1. In this example (FIG. 7), the facility ID 3 ("Ho-he-to
Bookstore") and the facility ID 11 ("Chi-ri-nu Liquor Store") are
specified as the facilities on the right and left, respectively. Next,
the processing determines that the attribute value of the "neighboring
facility" attribute for the facility ID 3 is "Yes" and identifies the
attribute value of the "facility on the right" attribute for the facility
ID 3 as the facility ID 10 ("No-o-ku Records"). This makes it possible to
specify that the "Ho-he-to Bookstore" (facility ID 3) is on the right
side of the "I-ro-ha Store" (facility ID 1) and that the next store to
the right is "No-o-ku Records" (facility ID 10).

[0055]It is also possible to specify in the same manner that the
"Chi-ri-nu Liquor Store" (facility ID 11) is on the left side of the
"I-ro-ha Store" (facility ID 1) and that no other facility exists on the
left of the "Chi-ri-nu Liquor Store" (facility ID 11) and the "I-ro-ha
Store" (facility ID 1). It is thus possible to narrow down the search
results for the character string that is input as the first facility by
determining whether or not the character string that is input as the
second facility is included in the attribute value of the "facility name"
attribute of the neighboring facility or facilities of the first
facility.0002

[0056]Note that this processing is applicable to search for three or more
neighboring facilities on each side of the first facility. Moreover, the
processing can be configured such that the user can select the range
(number) of neighboring facilities to be searched. The search database 51
can also be configured such that each facility ID is associated with two
or more facility IDs on each of the left and right sides. According to
the search database 51 that is shown in FIG. 7, the facility IDs of the
neighboring facilities are stored in advance, so that the processing can
be focused on the search for neighboring facilities and can be executed
at higher speed.

[0057]Second Method

[0058]The search processing that is executed at S3 and S8 in FIG. 2 can
also be implemented by using a search database 51 that is shown in FIG.
8. For each facility, the database 51 has a facility ID as a key, as well
as associated attributes, such as a facility name and coordinates. The
"facility name" attribute indicates the facility name of the facility.
The "coordinates" attribute indicates position information for the
facility. Note that the search database 51 that is shown in FIG. 8 may
also utilize the various types of map data that are stored in the map
database 25.

[0059]First, the coordinates of the first facility are acquired. Next, the
facility IDs of the facilities that exist within a specified range from
the acquired coordinates (hereinafter called the "neighboring facility
candidates") are identified in the search database 51. The identified
facility IDs for the neighboring facility candidates are stored
temporarily in the RAM 42.

[0060]Next, the nodes that exist within a specified range from the
coordinates of the first facility are identified. The road information
described above is referenced in identifying the nodes. Next, the link
data items that include the identified nodes are specified. This makes it
possible to specify the roads that exist in the vicinity of the first
facility (hereinafter called the "neighboring road candidates").

[0061]Next, the roads that provide access to the first facility
(hereinafter called the "neighboring roads") are specified from among the
specified neighboring road candidates, based on their distances from the
first facility.

[0062]Next, the facilities that can be accessed by the neighboring roads
are specified based on the distances between each of the neighboring
facility candidates and the neighboring roads. The facilities that have a
neighboring relationship with the first facility are also specified as
neighboring facilities based on their distances from the first facility.

[0063]The processing will be explained using FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is an example
that shows positional relationships among the facilities, the nodes, and
the roads. In the example shown in FIG. 9, when the facility with the
facility ID 1 is input as the first facility, the facilities that exist
within a specified range from the facility with the facility ID 1 are
identified as the neighboring facility candidates based on the
coordinates of the facility ID 1. In this example, the facilities with
the facility ID 3, facility ID 7, facility ID 9, facility ID 10, and
facility ID 11 are identified as the neighboring facility candidates.

[0064]Next, the nodes that exist within a specified range from the
facility with the facility ID 1 are identified. In this example, the
nodes N1, N2, N3, and N4 are identified.

[0065]Next, the link data items that have node data item pairs that
include any one of the nodes N1, N2, N3, and N4 are specified. In this
example, the road L1, the road L2, the road L3, and the road L4 are
specified as the neighboring road candidates.

[0066]Next, the roads that exist within a specified range from the
facility with the facility ID 1 are specified as the neighboring roads
based on the distances between the coordinates of the facility ID 1 and
each of the neighboring road candidates. In this example, only the road
L2 is located within the specified distance from the facility with the
facility ID 1, so only the road L2 is specified as the neighboring road.

[0067]Next, the facilities with the facility ID 3, facility ID 10, and
facility ID 11 are specified as the facilities that can be accessed by
the neighboring road L2, based on the distances between the neighboring
road L2 and each of the neighboring facility candidates (i.e., the
facilities with the facility ID 3, facility ID 7, facility ID 9, facility
ID 10, and facility ID 11). Next, based on the distances between the
first facility and each of the specified facilities (i.e., facilities
that can be accessed by neighboring road L2), the facility with the
facility ID 3 and the facility with the facility ID 11, each of which has
a neighboring relationship with the first facility, are specified as the
neighboring facilities.

[0068]Another example when the facility with the facility ID 10, which is
located at a corner of roads L1, L2, is input as the first facility will
be explained below using FIG. 9.

[0069]First, based on the coordinates of the facility ID 10, the
facilities that exist within a specified range from the facility with the
facility ID 10 are identified as the neighboring facility candidates. In
this example, the facilities with the facility ID 1, facility ID 3,
facility ID 7, facility ID 9, and facility ID 11 are identified as the
neighboring facility candidates.

[0070]Next, the nodes that exist within a specified range from the
facility with the facility ID 10 are identified. In this example, the
nodes N1, N2, N3, and N4 are identified.

[0071]Next, the link data items that have node data item pairs that
include any one of the nodes N1, N2, N3, and N4 are specified. In this
example, the road L1, the road L2, the road L3, and the road L4 are
specified as the neighboring road candidates.

[0072]Next, the roads that exist within a specified range from the
facility with the facility ID 10 are specified as the neighboring roads
based on the distances between the coordinates of the facility ID 10 and
each of the neighboring road candidates. In this example, the road L1 and
the road L2 are located within the specified distance from the facility
with the facility ID 10, so the road L1 and the road L2 are specified as
the neighboring roads.

[0073]Next, the facility with the facility ID 9 is specified as the
facility that can be accessed by the neighboring road L1, based on the
distances between the neighboring road L1 and each of the neighboring
facility candidates (i.e., the facilities with the facility ID 1,
facility ID 3, facility ID 7, facility ID 9, and facility ID 11).

[0074]In addition, the facilities with the facility ID 1, facility ID 3,
and facility ID 11 are specified as the facilities that can be accessed
by the neighboring road L2, based on the distances between the
neighboring road L2 and each of the neighboring facility candidates.

[0075]Next, based on the distances between the first facility (facility ID
10) and each of the specified facilities (i.e., the facilities that can
be accessed by the neighboring road L1 or L2), the facilities with the
facility ID 3 and facility ID 9, each of which has a neighboring
relationship with the first facility, are specified as the neighboring
facilities.

[0076]Note that in one or more of the embodiments described above, the
information search processing is carried out by the CPU 41 within the
vehicle. However, in other embodiments information about the first
facility and the second facility that are input is transmitted to a
remote information center that is not shown in the drawings, with the
processing being executed at the information center, the processing
results being received by the navigation device 1, and the received
search results being displayed by the navigation device 1.

[0077]Note that in one or more of the above disclosed embodiments, the
neighboring facilities are described as being on the right and on the
left of the first facility, but they may also be described in terms of
relative directions or the like. For example, in some embodiments "the
neighboring facility to the south", "the neighboring facility to the
east", and the like are used.

[0078]In some embodiments, the specified range for identifying the
neighboring facility candidates is set to be smaller than the specified
range used by the second method, and then the facilities that are within
the set specified range are specified as neighboring facilities, based on
the coordinates of the first facility, without specifying the neighboring
roads at all.

[0079]In some embodiments, a facility information output device, a
facility information output method, and a facility information output
program are provided to search for a facility that is a desired
destination according to the user's input, by using, as a search
condition, a neighboring facility of the facility that is the desired
destination.

[0080]According to a first aspect, it is possible to input, as a search
condition, a facility name of a neighboring facility of a facility that
is the destination, so that the user can easily search for the desired
facility.

[0081]According to a second aspect, it is determined whether or not a
neighboring relationship exists between a first facility and a second
facility. The user can therefore easily search for the desired facility
by using the result of the determination.

[0082]According to a third aspect, facility information for each of the
facilities that has a neighboring relationship with a desired facility is
associated with the desired facility in the facility information. The
user can therefore easily search for the desired facility by referring to
the associated information.

[0083]According to a fourth aspect, the facility information for each of
the facilities includes location information, so that the user can easily
search for the desired facility by referring to the location information.

[0084]According to a fifth aspect, it is possible to input, as a search
condition, the facility name of a neighboring facility of the facility
that is the destination, so that the user can easily search for the
desired facility.

[0085]It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present
invention is not limited by the examples described above and that various
improvements and modifications may occur insofar as they are within the
scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention may
also be used in a mobile telephone, an information communication
terminal, a personal computer, a guide terminal and the like.